Agricultural traction implement.



w. J. GARDNER. AGRICULTURAL TRAGTION IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1912.

1,059,140, Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

im/m/Jwm/ W. J: GARDNER.

AGRICULTURAL TRACTION IMPLEMENT.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 9, 1912.

1,059,140, Patented Apr. 15, 1913.

2 SHEETSBEEET 2.

g/vihwooeo iw I may WILLIAM J'. GARDNER, 0F LINDSAY, CALIFORNIA.

AGRICULTURAL TRACTION IMPLEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedApr. 15,1913.

Application filed March 9, 1912. Serial No. 682,660 v To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. GARDNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lindsay, in the county of Tula-re and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Agricultural Traction Implements, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to agricultural implements adapted to be operated by power, such as a traction engine.' 7

The invention, which is applicable to plows, cultivators, disk and other harrows and to various other implements of different types, has for its special object to provide a simple and improved construction whereby an implement may be associated with the frame of a traction engine in such a manner that it may be conveniently and efliciently actuated, and in such a manner that the implement may be conveniently raised or lowered to engage the soil at the proper depth.

A further object of the invention is to rovide a frame or cage associated with the frame of the traction engine and vertically adjustable wit-h reference 7 thereto, said frame or cage affording supporting means for implements of various kinds and types.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has-been illustrated a sinri 1e and preferred form of the invention, it eing, however, understood that no limitation is] necessarily made to the precise. structural details therein exhibitcd, but that changes, !alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted .to when desired.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a traction engine equipped with the adjustable frame or cage of the present invention, showing. also cultivator teeth associated with the cage. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the machine showing the tool carrying frame or cage in a raised position, and showing. a diskharrow associated therewith.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are'denoted by like characters of reference; v

The traction engine employed in connectlon with my invention may he of any suitable and'preferred form and type. It is preferred, however, to use atype of traction engine having three wheels, namely, two supporting wheels and one guide wheel, because an en ine of this type is easily guided and is capa le of making short turns and is, therefore, particularly available for use in and about orchards and other places where -crops' are to be cultivated and where trees and other obstruct-ions are found which must be avoided.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the frame of the traction engine which is supported on an axle 2having transportin wheels 3, 3, said frame being also provide with a suitably mounted guiding wheel 4. The motor, which may be of any preferred type, is conventionally indicated at 5. Any

suitable well known means may be emsuitable distance in'advance of the front brackets 7 with supporting brackets 9 upon which links 10 are supported by means of pivot members 11 with relation to which the arcuate faces of the front brackets 7 are concentric. The links10 are pivotally connected with the front ends of the side members'of a cage or frame B, the side members 12 of said cage being connected with the links 10 by pivots 13 carrying flanged wheels or'rollers 14 that engage and ride upon the arcuate faces ofthe front brackets 7. The side members 12 of the frame or cage B are also provided with flanged Wheels or rollers 15 adapted to ride upon the The I 5 ings hereto annexed," that earth engaging im-' arcuate faces of the rear brackets 7 which form inclined tracks over which the cage shaft 22 is provided with an upwardly ex- ;tending arm 23 which-is connected by a link 24 with the lever 17. The rock shaft 22 is also provided with arms 25 which are connected by links 26 with the side members 12 of the cage B. It will be seen that by actuating the lever 17 the cage B may thus be raised or lowered while maintaining a substantially horizontal position, and in substantially parallel relation to the main frame, said cage being caused to ride over the curved .and inclined front and rear tracks or brackets on which it is held by the action of the links 10, and the said frame or cage being supported at any desired elevation by the stop. member 18 engaging the rack 19.

The frame or cage B is composed of the side members 12 which consists of L-shaped angle or channel bars of iron or steel, said angle or channel bars being connected to gether at suitable intervals by cross bars. 27 and at the front and rear ends by front and rear cross bars 28, 29 which are likewise made of angle iron or steel, the parts being bolted together or otherwise connected to make a strong and durable structure. The rear cross bar 29 is made of suflicient length to extend materially beyond the side members 12, forming extension arms or brackets 30 which may be utilized for carrying tools or cultivator teeth, as may be required. The verticalflanges 12 of the angle bars constituting the side members 12 extend up- 7 wardly from the outer edges-of the horizontal flanges 12" of said side members. The cross bars, as Well as the side members of the frame or cage, may be utilized to support earth en aging tools of various de sorlptlons whic maybe mounted a on saidcross bars and side members by c amping means of any suitable descri tion, as indicated at 31L The horizontal anges 12" also constitute supporting ledges upon which may be sup orted the frames .of various agricultural implements, such, for instance, as a disk harrow which is shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the h'arrow frame, which 1s indicated at 32, being supported upon the flanges or ledges 12" where it may be secured in any convenient manner.

It will be vseen from the foregoing descriptl'on, taken in connection with the draw plements of almost any type or kind, such as plows, cultivators, disk or spring tooth harrows, land rollers,clod crushers or the like may be associated with or mounted upon the frame or cage B. Said frame or cage, together with the implement carried thereby, may be easily and quickly adjusted vertically to place the implements into or out of engaging posit-ion with reference to the ground and in position to engage the ground at the desired depth. When the machine advances the strain is not altogether on the brackets 7, but is usually taken up by the links 10 which connect the carrying frame or cage with the brackets 9 of the tractor frame. On the other hand, the brackets 7 will guide thecarrier frame and virtually support the same in position for operation, the strain on the supporting links which connect the frame with the arms of the rock shafts being reduced to a minimum.

The general construction is, simple and inexpensive, and the essential parts of the device, that is to say, the bracket members 7, the carrying frame or cage B, the links and brackets 10 and 9 and the adjusting means for the cage or frame may be applied to many types of tractors now in use without materially changing the same or interfering with the use of such tractors for other purposes. It is particularly to be understood that no limitation whatever'is made to the use in connection with this invention of any particular form or type of tractor. A traction implement constructed in accordance with my inventionwhile useful for general agricultural purposes will be found useful and desirable in orchards where crops are to be cultivated, andwhere a traction engine may be guided far more safely and with less danger of injury to the trees than an implement drawn by a team.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A main frame having supporting wheels and downwardly extending front and rear brackets forming inclined tracks, an approximately .horizontal tool carrying frame supported for movement along'said front and rear tracks in approximately parallel relation to the main frame, and means for raising and, lowering the tool 'carrying frame relatively to the main frame.

2. A main frame having supporting wheels and downwardly extending front and rear brackets forming tracks of arcuate shape, a tool carrying frame having wheels engaging the tracks, means for raising and lowering the tool carrying frame relatively to the main frame, a bracket on the main frame, and a link pivoted on the bracket in concentric relation to the arcuate tracks, said link being also connected with the tool carrying frame. p

- 3. In a traction implement, a wheel supported tractor frame having downwardly extending front and rear brackets forming guide tracks, a tool carrying frame having wheels riding on said tracks, and draft links connecting the tool carrying frame with the tractor frame in advanceof the front brackets. v

4. In a traction. implement, a wheel supported tractor frame having downwardly extending front and rear brackets with arcuate front faces, a tool carrying frame havingguide wheels riding on the brackets, draft links connecting the tool carrying frame with the tractor in advance of the. front brackets, said draft links, being pivoted concentrically with the arcuate faces of the brackets, and means for efiecting vertical adjustment of the tool carrying frame and for supporting the same in adjusted position. a a

5. In a traction implement, a tractor frame having side members, front andrear brackets mounted in pairs on said side members and having arcuate front faces, a tool carrying cage having flanged wheels guided on said brackets, .draft links connecting the cage with the tractor frame in advance of the front brackets, rock shafts supported on the tractor frame and having radially ex tending arms,-links connecting the arms of the rock shafts with the tool carrying cage, and means for simultaneously]actuating the rock shafts to effect vertical adjustment of the cage.

In testimonfy whereof I afiix my signature 1n presence 0 two witnesses. WILLIAM J. GARDNER. 'Witnesses:

Z. E. PAGE, OLLm JoHnsoN. 

